Religion and the Higher Arts in Novdahain
High Predicant Lisavetah looked over the congregation as she preached. Many of the benches were empty, and those that held worshipers were clumped to the side of the cathedral, where the fire cracked and burned, a futile attempt at driving out winter's chill. From the great wooden pulpit, Lisavetah ran her hands over the scripture, reciting and sermonizing in equal measure. The Silence had reduced Moranin Cathedral to this hall of echoes and emptiness, and Lisavetah often despaired for the people in the city, especially those that had lost all faith in the Gods. A fight broke out among those loitering at the door of the cathedral, avoiding the heavy snowfall under its arched roof. She glanced around, looking for Artem to shoo them off. She turned back to her scripture, speaking louder to drown out the noise. It was one of her least favourites; the parable of Oryon and Radya, laid down by the Prophet Hagan. Oryon, the seeker of truth and wisdom, went to his older sister, Radya, to ask her the secret of Death. She replied that it was not for him to know the secret, but only for those for whom all things pass. Oryon, angered by this answer, demanded why she was allowed to know. Radya laughed at him, 'You cannot know all things little brother, not all is meant for you.' '' '''But how am I to be content with mysteries and half-truths, how can I endure a life in ignorance and fear?' To this Radya smiled, 'Go to the mortals my brother, from them you will learn more than you will ever from me, including the answer to your riddle. For they are the candle in the wind, and within them are the secrets you seek but shall never find.' Lisavetah had not noticed the silence that had descended on the cathedral like a blanket. Her eyes flitted up and widened. Down the central aisle, draped in layers of white cloth, the pale figure of Belikrov drifted, her dress whispering along the pews. She took a seat on one of the hard wooden benches and looked to Listaveh. 'Continue my child, let us hear the wisdom of Prophet Hagan.' All around the exarch stood in shocked silence, and a crowd gathered at the door. Some jostled for a view, others blessed themselves and recited prayers, others ran away into the snowfall, fearful of the exarch's presence. In the vaulted hall of Moranin Cathedral, Lisavetah finished her sermon, and the words fell on ears both mortal and divine. This article is part of a series on the Realm of Novdahain. Other articles include: * History of Novdahain * The Capital of Novdahain * The Leddic Domains * Voynasa Provinces * Karelian Marches * Personalities of Novdahain * Organisations of Novdahain Religion in Novdahain The Faith of the Three The faith of the Three is the main practiced religion in the Realm of Novdahain, although in many areas variations of the basic tenets thrive. The Faith of the Three is based on the joint worship of Oryon, Radya, and Dumathain. Together they form the pantheon that encompasses most of the needs of the faithful. The fundamental tenet of the Faith are the Three Protections, each tied to one of the pantheon, and each a crucial aspect of a believer's life. Protection of the Soul Radya, the Goddess of Death, represented by a young and beautiful widow bearing a candle, holds domain over Life, Death and the passing of the Soul into the afterlife. Within the Faith she is worshiped and invoked at births and funerals, her blessing sought by sailors going to sea and warriors going to battle, that they're souls may pass unhindered from the material world to the next. Protection of the Household Dumathain, God of Craft, Trade and the Home, is considered the father of the other two gods, and the chief god in the pantheon. He is often represented as an aging blacksmith. Taking domain over prosperity and the household, Dumathain is prayed to by the vast majority in Novdahain for everything from good harvests to safe voyages. He is often invoked in rituals and prayers at the construction of a new building, the completion of a new ship, and at harvest festivals. Protection of the Word Oryon is perhaps the least worshiped god in the pantheon, but his domains and function within the religion tie most deeply to the peculiarities of the Novdahain region; the spellblights. The worship of Oryon usually revolves around the belief that his words can shield the common folk from spellblights and rogue magic, as well as curses, hauntings and other paranormal ills. Oryon is represented in many different ways, from the old sage to the young, naive scholar, and in rural areas as a watchful owl over the homestead. Institutions of the Faith The Faith of the Three in Novdahain manifests itself through several different institutions, from local cults in rural to the High Faith itself, based in Moranin Cathedral in the Capitol. The High Faith Based out of the grand cathedral of Moranin in Novdahain itself, the High Faith is the official religious institution of the Realm. The Grand Predicant leads the faith, and is elected by the High Predicants every 10 years. Managing not only the temples and shrines in the Capitol, the High Faith is also the religious institution in almost every major settlement in the Realm, and its priests, clerics and laymen tend to the needs of the faithful wherever they be. Orders of the Faith The demands of the faithful are manifold, and the response of the Faith are many. Below are some of the Orders of the High Faith, their roles, and their status in a post-Silence Novdahain. Sanctifiers The Sanctifiers are clerics who are charged with blessing and warding towns, villages, castles and other important locations. Whether protecting the inhabitants from monsters in the wilderness, ill fortune or spellblights, Sanctifiers are called upon by captains, elders, nobles and farmers alike. Sanctifiers often have a region they move through regularly, whether a city or a collection of villages, renewing their wards and overseeing new ones. Sanctifiers held and important societal position before the Silence, and have struggled to regain their former importance. In the Karelian Marches and the Leddic Domains Sanctifiers are generally still employed, though even in these strongholds of the Faith their influence has waned. Because of their close connections with the communities they serve, Sanctifiers were often also trained in the healing arts, though none are as specialised as Blighters or Ovates. Ovati The healers of the Faith, Ovati are trained in the divine magic of healing alongside their arcane counterparts in the College of Volshebni. While Sanctifiers and Blighters respond to private requests for their services, Ovati are centrally managed by the Faith and distributed in a patchy network throughout the Realm. Primarily based in cities where their services are most commonly required, Ovati are also send to accompany armies into battle, to the site of plagues or mass diseases, and even sometimes to the scenes of crimes to interpret the cause of death. Predicant Predicants are the specialists of scripture and the preachers of the Faith. Always tied to a place of worship, Predicants deal with educating the masses on the doctrines of the faith, resolving conflicts in their community, and interpreting the will of the Gods. Predicants are trained in a variety of institutions, but mainly in the Capitol and almost never in the College of Volshebni. Because of their centralised position, Predicants are usually the ones to climb the political and social ladder of the Faith, despite their more abstract service to the common people. Since the Silence, Predicants have seen their congregations dwindle, Bolezhny (Blighters) Bolezhny, mostly known as Blighters, are the Faith's primary response to the occurrence of spellblights in the Realm. Called upon by the afflicted or their relatives, Blighters are sent out to cure those beset by spellblights, curses or other paranormal ills. Bolezhny are trained exclusively in the College of Volshebni, often sharing instruction with arcane students to understand the principles of the things they strive to cure. Although spellblights, the original ailment that led to the creation of the Bolezhny order, are a distinct form of magical affliction, the propensity for the common people to lump any number of paranormal occurrences in with spellblights means that Bolezhny often learn how to deal with other forms of magical corruption or danger. These include hauntings, possessions, and curses. The exact scope of a Bolezhny's work is often left up to the Blighter themselves, and many shun requests that fall outside their domain, which has led to countless songs and tales of the haughty, craven Blighter and the valiant knight who steps in to help instead. In some cases, spellblights are an evolving affliction that can lead to fates far worse than death for both the individual and community. Bolezhny are well aware of these dangers, and consider it their holy duty to lay the afflicted to rest if they cannot stem the spellblight. This grisly duty has led them to end the lives of parents, children, and even kings if they deem it necessary, and has given them a dark, even shunned reputation among the people. The divine magic used by the Bolezhny in their duties failed during the Silence, and as a result the order almost disintegrated. Without them, the people turned to alternate, blasphemous, or exotic forms of protection and magic to prevent and cure spellblights and other ills. In response, many Bolezhny, especially in the college of Volshebni, began to learn and practice arcane arts in order to continue their function, although at diminished effectiveness and sanctity. This subsection of the Bolezhny order has come to be known as Proklymol, or Hexhammers. The Silence and the Faith Lisavetah moved through the crowd in Pahlen square, her robes marking her out as a High Predicant of the Faith. She had joined the Faith when she came of age in 6DE, only a year before the Silence threw everything into chaos. She remembered the reverence her rank once enjoyed, following her superiors through parted crowds in this very square. Now she jostled with the rest of the people, worming her way through the mass to the Foreign Quarter, the corner of the market usually dominated by exotic goods and merchants. While some of her associates in the Faith resented how the people had abandoned their age-old traditions, their priests and clerics, and their Gods, Lisavetah felt nothing but a dull sadness. The Gods had abandoned them. For over a decade the divine magic they bestowed mortals was a flickering, weak thing. How could the people remain faithful when the Three Protections had been so brutally withdrawn. '' ''It was not just among the people that faith had flickered and died. Hundreds had left the service of the High Faith in despair or fear. What remained was a skeleton of its former power, and only a memory of its former prestige. She moved to the front of the crowd gathered around the Ruhxan's stall. In a melodic southern accent he called out his wares; talismans, dreamcatchers, stones of protection. Bones of holy men and extracts of monsters, guaranteed to ward off ill fortune and even cure spellblights. He paused when he saw her, recognising her robes, thinking she had corralled some guardsmen into shutting him down. Instead she held out five silver coins, the price of the talisman he claimed would ward off evil dreams. He handed it to her hesitantly, and she sensed the magic glow faintly from the object; a disc of exotic wood carved with symbols and overlayed in bronze. Keep it below your pillow, High Predicant, and your sleep shall not be disturbed by evil magic or spirits. Thank you, I will. She walked back through the crowd, not sure why she had purchased the thing, or why she had let herself be seen doing so in a weekend market. The towers of Moranin cathedral beckoned in the distance, calling her to her home and the evening's prayers. All the way back she clenched the talisman in her hands, and that night it lay snug beneath her pillow. The Silence of the Gods between 7DE and 18DE caused unprecedented turmoil in the High Faith. Divine magic flickered or failed to manifest entirely, and the wards, words and prayers that the Faith based their teachings on could offer no solace or protection. Orati watched as plague victims died in their arms of diseases they could cure not two years past. Sanctifiers were run out of villages as their wards failed, while Bolezhny, unable to cure any spellblights at all, resorted in desperation to killing many of those affected in a hope they would not spread or get worse, leading several of their order to be publicly lynched by mobs. Within the Faith too there were crises, as droves of laymen and clerics of all ranks abandoned their position, fearing the people's wrath or the coming of the apocalypse. In the college of Volshebni, an institution founded on the belief magic could only be practiced safely with Divine guidance, their raison d'etre collapsed. Authorities and parents no longer sent the magically gifted to their halls, and those students that remained were left untaught, as the priests and magisters feared expanding their talents without the divine wards. When the Silence finally ended in 18DE, it was unclear whether the High Faith could recover. In areas where the Faith had always been strong; the Karelian Marches and many places in the Leddic Domains, life hesitantly returned to normal. Yet even in these areas returning clerics and priests found themselves competing with new forms of belief and protection. Spirit worship, Occultism and manifold variations of cults had sprung up in the Faith's absence as the common people sought a replacement for the Three Protections, and a cure for the spellblights. Whether the Faith will grow again to eclipse these new practices is uncertain. Spellblights and Magical Instability in Novdahain The heavy snowfall shrouded the homestead in silence as she walked along the muddy path towards it. Inside the main building, a fire lit the windows in a brilliant orange hue, which played across the snowbanks in waves. In the stables a plough horse clopped at the hard ground, and whinnied as she approached the door. Three heavy knocks summoned the father of the afflicted, and his eyes widened as he took in the slight woman dressed in black that stood at his door. Thank the gods you're here. Please, come in out of the cold. I'm a godly man and servants of the Faith are always welcome to warm themselves by my hearth. She stepped inside, hoisting her longsword from her shoulder where it had lain heavy the whole journey. He flinched at the action and his eyes flitted to the adjacent room, but she propped it against the wall and took off her coat. Inside the house rugs and heavy furs lay across the floor, while a great hearth burned bright, filling the home with warmth and comfort. 'Dumathain himself would be proud of such a house, you have a beautiful home.' Thank you, Bolezhny, it is my greatest pride next to my children. Please, let me show you her. He led her into the room with the hearth, where a child lay wrapped in furs, tended by an anxious mother. How long has she been like this? Two weeks, Bolezhny, we are very grateful you managed to arrive so quickly. Have her symptoms worsened? Sympt-? Oh, the blight has not changed, no, it lies on her back, Bolezhny, below her neck. She rolled the girl on her side, hearing the child whimper and shiver as she pulled the furs aside. Beneath the child's neck, a black mark had spread, discoloring and cracking the skin, turning it hard like scales. A minor Blight, magister Alyt would've called it a choroba-type, disfiguring, but likely not fatal.' she muttered to herself.'' '''What was that Bolezhny? How is she? It is a minor Blight, you needn't worry. I shall conduct a curative ritual now, and then ward the house against a recurrence. You ought to hire a Sanctifier to ward your property and fields though, lest it recurs in your crops or animals come spring. Thank the gods, of course Bolezhny, we will. Thank you again The ritual was relatively simple, she had conducted it dozens of times. The black mark faded as it finished, the scaled texture receded, leaving the skin red and sore. 'The redness will pass, wash the skin regularly and keep her warm and fed, and she will make a full recovery.' She moved to the windows of the house, spreading incense and iron filings along the window frames. Outside the snow fell heavily, covering the ground, but something caught her eye; a bucket filled with raw meat. Dangerous to leave meat out like that in winter, lest you want wolves at your door. Er, of course, Bolezhny, I'm sorry, our thoughts have been with our child. And where is your other child, might I ask? What? Oh, he's, eh, in the army now Bolezhny, being trained outside the capitol, left three winters past. I'm sure he will excel in whatever he does, you keep a good house. The ritual is complete, and I will be on my way. She collected the coin from the farmer and made her way back into the hall, hoisting her sword and traveling back into the snow. The girl's mother thanked her profusely and gave her food for the journey. She grimaced as she paced up the slope away from the household. No father lets his only son go to war, and no farmer leaves good meat out in the cold. The Blight on that girl was minor, but the man lied. It had been spreading. Three years was long enough for it to complete its course. She walked until the homestead was a silhouette through the trees, then drew her sword. The blade glinted in the moonlight. A parent's love was a strong thing, but their son was no more. She frowned, three years ago not even she could have saved him, the Gods were still gone and with them, her power. '' ''She hardened her mind and focused on her task, the Blighted creature the boy had become would not be sated by buckets of meat or bread, and she could not risk the village's safety. Leaving the path and offering a prayer to the Gods, she cast a simple detection spell. Her work had just begun. Spellblights Whether as a result of some titanic war long ago, some joke of the Gods, or a curse on the land itself, magic has and likely always will be unstable in the Realm of Novdahain. This instability manifests itself in a myriad of ways, from difficulty in spellcasting to wild and uncontrollable magical outbursts. The most common, and most feared manifestation of this instability are Spellblights; supernatural afflictions that can strike at random. Varied in both lethality and appearance, Spellblights can occur anywhere, but are particularly likely in areas of great magical power, or among spellcasters both latent and practiced. Blights can range from discolouration of the skin to a steady but inexorable corruption of the flesh or mind, transforming the afflicted into a twisted monster with only a dull gleam of its former self. Countless are the victims of Spellblights, and to combat them folk turned to the Faith and the Gods for protection, looking to Oryon for the knowledge they needed. Over time, cures were developed and spread, relying on sacred words repeated and taught, the answer people prayed for. The order of Sanctifiers was created as a preventative, warding areas and people against the occurrence of Blights. Bolezhny were also trained to cure Blights that had already manifested, or to safely end the lives of those beyond help. To protect both themselves and their communities, spellcasters were sent to the College of Volshebni, where they were trained in both the arcane and divine arts, and overseen by experienced Sanctifiers who could ward off any Blights. Only once the spellcaster had learned to channel her spells through the divine words of warding, were they allowed to return to their communities. This system collapsed during the Silence of the Gods, as divine clerics of all kinds found their powers useless or weakened. As wards failed, Blight appeared more frequently, spellcasters shunned the defunct College and attempted to control their own powers, sometimes to disastrous results. Elsewhere, common folk turned to superstition, Occultism and old fables for protection. Since the end of the Silence the Spellblights remain an endemic in the Realm. New Sanctifiers and Bolezhny are being trained, but it remains to be seen whether they will be welcomed back by the common people, or if the break in faith with the Gods will prove too much to overcome. Arcane Magic in Novdahain Arcane magic in the Realm of Novdahain, whether the practiced study of wizards or the spontaneous outbursts of sorcerers, is always cast and observed with fear of Spellblights. As a result, in times past communities would send their spellcasters to the College of Volshebni for training, where they would learn the Divine Words of Protection necessary to contain their spell's power, and ward off any chance of Spellblight. This culture led to a deep division in Novdahain's society between those casters that had completed their training the college, and were thus seen as safe to practice, and those that had not, usually shunned and feared as Vedma, or Hexers. During the Silence, even those spellcasters who knew the Divine Words found them failing, and thus Spellblights of all kinds increased in number and frequency. The influx of other forms of magic, including Occultism, has broken down the old distinction between college-trained and Hexers even after the Silence ended, but in many areas people have simply resorted to chasing all forms of spellcasters out, in a desperate attempt to avoid the Spellblight. Divine Magic in Novdahain Divine magic in Novdahain has a long history, stemming from the earliest records of the Leddic and Karelian peoples. The Faith of the Three protections emerged from this history, and almost all divine magic in the Realm comes from this religion. Focused intimately on what are known as the Divine Words (or Oryon's Words), divine magic in Novdahain is always practiced through carefully pronounced phrases in a mixture of Old Leddic and what scholars and clerics describe as Words of Making. Unlike in many other places on Tolas, Divine Magic practically ceased to function in Novdahain during the Silence. The exact reasons for this are unknown, although it is possible differences in the channeling of divine power, the ways in which it is invoked, or even the presence of the Spellblight are to blame. Needless to say, the failure of their power sorely tested the faith of many Divine Spellcasters for the duration of the Silence, and long afterwards, while the common people could only despair as clerics and priests were unable to serve them as in times past. Occultism in Novdahain For more on this, see here. Occultism, the practice of magic that comes from amalgamating different disciplines in a variety of ways, is on the rise in Novdahain thanks to the Silence and the failure of divine spellcasting during that period. Arriving with an influx of Ruhxans who traveled to Novdahain after trade grew between the nations, occultism has become the means of protection against the Spellblight for many common citizens, and occultists of all stripes and ability can be found in the Realm, specifically in the Capitol and the Voynasa provinces. Many of these are frauds, peddling worthless talismans to the desperate, while others harness true magical power, and have replaced the services once offered by the Faith. What is clear is that these occultists were not prepared for the Spellblight, and many of the first practitioners in Novdahain fell to its afflictions. It appears as though the Psionic and Divine aspects of occultism help to ward off the Blight, but as with all things in the occult arts, the exact science is unknowable. Psionics in Novdahain For more on this, see here. Psionics is rare in Novdahain, and the realm lacks any formal institution for its practice. Historically, if there have been any major Psionic practitioners they have never been distinguished from their arcane or divine cousins. With the influx of new peoples into Novdahain, psionics has seen a slight rise, but is still considered a rare and mysterious art. One group of psionic practitioners are the Blue Ring Society, who have spread their beliefs and practices from Drenden. Focused almost entirely on the Skein, the Blue Ring Society has gained popularity among some noble circles in the capitol. Category:In-World Concepts Category:Farthrone Category:Novdahain